Hellobee

That’s a great idea! I have a list of things we like to eat saved on my computer. I look at it sometimes when I’m at a loss for what to plan for the week.

That is a really interesting and easy plan! I always have grand plans of meal planning, but it just never materializes. This is something I might actually be able to do.

I think this is a system that will work for me! The problem with meal planning for me is that I always end up not wanting to cook something I planned. I prefer going to the market more frequently and not having everything so planned out. Thanks for sharing!

I’d be interested to see what exactly is on your cards Great idea!

I do actually meal plan before I go shopping, but I’ll modify what I buy based on what looks fresh and what’s on sale. I have enough bases and spices at home so that as long as I have a meat and a veggie I can be creative with what I end up making us for dinner. And in order to make things easier on DH when he goes shopping, I always tell him that he can just buy ANY veggie, fruit and meat combination adn I’ll come up with something. This way he can just grab anything that looks good to him and it makes it way easier on our family.

I made simple grid in Word with 7 rows down 5 across, and then I fill it in, usually just a week at a time. It is basically a monthly meal planner But sometimes if I make two of something (one for now and one for later) I will automatically put that something in the menu for a few weeks later.

I like this because I can see if I am making the same thing over and over and over again. Sometimes this is good and sometimes this is bad I also keep old sheets for inspiration, and it helps me note what worked and what didn’t.

Pre kids I had post it notes of meals and I would pull them out of a jar and voila that was the menu. Now with kids knowing that I have roughly 45 minutes (sometimes less) from the time I get into the kitchen to meal on the table that kind of randomness doesn’t work for us.

And FYI @Mrs. Sketchbook there is a blog called “I’m A Lazy Mom” and she does tips like recipes that she calls Lazy Mom recipes. She also has Lazy Mom Tips, Lazy Mom Parenting, and Lazy Mom Confessions. http://www.imalazymom.com/category/recipes/

I’m with @Mrs. Bee, the hardest part for me is not following through with my plan because I feel like eating something else and then sometimes we waste food that goes bad. This is a great idea, though!

I base my meal planning around proteins now… so I usually have some stocked up in our deep freezer. I just pick and choose enough for the week, and then go from there. For example, this week I defrosted beef cubes, ground turkey, pork loins, and chicken thighs – my menu is beef stew, turkey chili, honey glazed pork loins, and three cup chicken. Usually these require standard ingredients that I already have in my home. If all else fails, I just salt and pepper some chicken and bake it in the oven or whip up a quick stirfry!

This is a great idea though! I may try it out so that we get more variety around here.

I started something similar recently that I named my dinner diary. I write down what I make and the verdict, especially if our son liked it or not. I save all recipes used into a recipe app called Pepperplate that is accessible on all devices including the computer. It has totally helped me to stay on top of making dinner and meal planning. Although, I’m with @Mrs. Bee! Sometimes what I plan isn’t what I always make, but having a plan has at least helped me stay focused and remember what we like to eat!

This might help me “mix it up” a little bit more as I tend to cook some standards for weeks without realizing it. For me meal planning involves sitting down on Sat morning while the kids eat breakfast and decide what to make each night that week; I keep it all in a notebook so I can look back over the past for inspiration (or to see how long its been since I’ve cooked something). I then make a shopping list of any items we need and add that to the list of staples for which we’ve run out of which are listed on a chalk board.

I rely pretty heavily on the use of “Ctrl+F” to find things I’ve made before, so I pretty much am tied to electronic means of tracking meal planning. But the index cards sounds like a solution that would work for many people!

Great and simple idea!!!

Love it!

nice!

cute and simple!

The smartest part is that this stays in your purse! Nothing like getting home to realize you forgot something, so this is a great way to help that from happening!

Great idea! Even though we do it diligently every week I hate meal planning. I keep meaning to save our weekly meals and compile a binder so in the future I can just pull out some ideas (along with the grocery list).

Oh I hate meal planning might need to try this

This is great advice. I have been using the Cook’n app to do my meal planning and it has been really helpful. It has been nice because I have the option of printing out a shopping list based on what i don’t have for the recipes. It might be helpful for some of you as well.

I try to do meal planning because it makes life so much easier. Lately I’ve been asking my mom’s group to dish up their plan for the week on Sunday. Most of them have their plans already and I take inspiration from there. It’s really helped me branch out and try new things – squash and black bean burritos were deliciious tonight!

Too cool. It’s pretty sad, but we always have meat in the freezer because we buy whole or half cows/pigs and then I get a bunch of staples and veggies and just figure stuff out. I use recipes, but it’s usually pretty slap-dash. Occasionally I’ll choose a recipe and specifically get ingredients for that, but it’s not too often. I pretend it’s because I’m a good cook and not because I’m lazy. Shhh– don’t tell anyone.